


Speedrunning Father's Day

by piteouspeculiarity



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, POV TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), look at all of these fresh tags, n i c e, nothing explicit in this fic but just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28031163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piteouspeculiarity/pseuds/piteouspeculiarity
Summary: Father's Day has rolled around, and, well, that would be fine, except Tommy's never had a dad before.But he does now, and he's going to make damn sure that Phil knows how appreciated he is.
Relationships: Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 110
Kudos: 1608
Collections: Completed stories I've read, the writer's block's Secret Santa





	Speedrunning Father's Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChaoticMajor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticMajor/gifts).



> Happy holidays, giftee! Hope you enjoy your time and get to relax once in a while <3
> 
> Warnings for this fic: swearing, thoughts of low self worth, implied child abuse (nothing explicit because this was supposed to be a happy fic lol)
> 
> Keep yourselves safe <3

“I don’t know, Tubbo.” Tommy shook his head. “Maybe next year.”

Tubbo crossed his arms. “You said that last year.”

“Last year I hadn’t even been adopted.” Rolling his eyes, Tommy pulled on Tubbo’s wrist so they could pay for their stuff and finally leave the shop. “It made sense to say it last year.”

“So you agree that it doesn’t make sense this year.”

Blowing out a breath, Tommy gave up on pulling Tubbo and just started walking away, knowing that his friend would have to follow if he wanted Tommy to pay for his things. “Leave it Tubbo.”

He heard Tubbo sigh. “Fine, but for the record, I think you’re being stupid.”

Tommy wasn’t the one being stupid, not this time.

“I’m never stupid.” Tommy defended, plastering a grin across his face even as his thoughts were consumed by the contents of the aisle they had just left. “I’m the smartest here.”

Would Phil even want a Father’s Day gift from him?

  


“Hey Wil, where’s everyone else?” Tommy greeted as he entered the living room, peeking his head around the corner to see an empty kitchen.

Wilbur laughed. “I see how it is, I’m not enough for you.”

“Nope.” Tommy said cheerfully. “Where are Techno and Phil?”

“Techno is in his room, Dad’s helping the neighbours.” Wilbur explained, stretching his arms above his head. “They downloaded another virus onto their computer.”

Laughing, Tommy threw himself on the couch next to Wilbur. “Again? Phil needs to start charging them.”

“You know he wouldn’t.” Phil was the sort of person to give and give and give without ever taking a single penny; after over a year of knowing him, Tommy still didn’t understand it. “How was your playdate with Tubbo?”

“We’re not five, it’s not a playdate.” Biting his lip, Tommy ignored how Wilbur rolled his eyes. “Tubbo was being a bitch anyway.”

Wilbur hummed. “Oh?”

Tommy considered his next words, staring at whatever show was playing without paying attention – Wilbur was the first one he’d trusted, if there was anyone he could ask for advice, it was him. “We went to the shops.”

Chuckling, Wilbur relaxed against the couch. “Did he manipulate you into paying for his stuff again?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s not really the problem.” Ever since he’d had the money, Tommy had been happy to pay for Tubbo’s snacks, not that he’d admit it to his friend. “It’s just, Tubbo wanted to get a gift for his dad, right? And he said I should get one for my – that I should get one too.”

“Ah, I see.” He heard Wilbur turn to face him. “I knew Father’s Day was soon but I wasn’t sure on the date.”

“Next Sunday.” Tommy supplied, still refusing to look away from the screen.

A small sigh. “You shouldn’t feel pressured to get him anything, he’s not going to be upset with you.”

“It’s not that.” Tommy forced himself to look at Wilbur, twisting his hands in his lap. “I’ve never wanted to get someone something before but with Phil it’s just, it’s different.”

A few of the homes he’d been in had made a big deal about Father’s Day and forced him to make a big deal about it, to show how ‘grateful’ he was for how much they’d done for him. In one of them, the man had had a bell throughout the day that he’d ring whenever he wanted something simple and Tommy had been forced to comply out of fear of being kicked out or shouted at for being ungrateful or whatever bullshit they’d come up with.

They were eight days away and Phil hadn’t mentioned Father’s Day once, even though out of everyone that had ever looked after Tommy, he had the most right to.

He glared at his hands. He wanted to get Phil a gift, he really did, but he didn’t know if Phil would want one from him. And even if he did, what on earth was Tommy supposed to get _Phil_ , the man who really had changed his life – Tommy _was_ grateful for Phil, though he knew he was bad at showing it. What if he messed up so much that Phil kicked him out?

“Breathe Tommy.” Wilbur said, reaching out slowly to take one of Tommy’s hands in his own. “Just focus on breathing for a minute.”

He hadn’t even realised how fast he was breathing, heart racing in his chest, thundering in his ears.

Swallowing harshly, he concentrated on Wilbur’s hand instead of the panic coursing through him, his breath steadily slowing as he calmed.

He sniffed, using his free hand to wipe at his eyes when he realised how dangerously close to crying he was. “I just don’t want to ruin it Wil.”

“Oh Toms.” Wilbur shuffled closer, sitting on his knees so he could surround Tommy in a hug. “I don’t think there’s anything you could do that would ruin how Dad sees you. He loves you, we all do, and he’d be overjoyed if he knew you were even thinking about getting him a gift for Father’s Day.”

Tommy leaned forward so his head was resting on Wilbur’s shoulder, clenching his eyes shut. “Promise?”

“I promise. The first Father’s Day after he adopted me, I forgot about it until that morning. I ended up giving him a nice weed I found in the garden and he still kept me around.”

Resisting the urge to just cry, Tommy sniffed again. “Yeah, but you’re _Wilbur._ ”

Wilbur was the perfect child, any parent would want to keep him around: he was funny and talented and polite and not at all like Tommy.

“And you’re Tommy.” A voice he recognised as Techno’s said from behind him, making him jump. “And I’m Techno. Dad loves all of us and I don’t think he’s capable of stopping.”

He felt Techno sit next to him but didn’t open his eyes to check. “I thought you were in your room.”

“I sensed that it was family bonding time.”

Tommy held back a laugh. “I hate you.”

“That’s not very festive.” Techno said.

Tommy pulled away from Wilbur to stare incredulously at Techno. “It’s _June_ , we’re nowhere near December.”

“Festive doesn’t necessarily equate to Christmas.” Techno defended. “One definition is just cheerful.”

“Nerd.” Tommy and Wilbur said simultaneously, before sharing a look and bursting into laughter.

The front door unlocked but Tommy couldn’t stop laughing to do more than wave at Phil as he walked in, looking more amused than anything. “Techno, what’re they laughing about this time?”

“Just the fact that I know basic English.” Techno said, standing up to accept Phil’s hug.

That was something Phil liked to do, hug them. He’d hug them before they left, or before he left, and whenever someone returned home – Phil had never mentioned it before, but Tommy had been caught off guard by the one armed hug he’d gotten after taking a walk on one of his first days at Phil’s house.

It was nice though, once he’d come to expect it: a constant that he could always rely on.

Wilbur stood up next, Tommy hanging behind him as he tried to calm his laughter – it really wasn’t that funny, but it had felt nice to laugh after spending half his day worrying about something so small.

Finally, it was his turn, and he eagerly buried himself into Phil’s arms, revelling in the warmth that came with them.

Phil whispered in his ear, discrete so the others wouldn’t hear him. “You okay mate? You look a little down.”

Nodding, Tommy hugged him a little tighter. “I’m fine.” Then, because Phil had always been able to see straight through him. “I talked to Wil already.”

“Alright.” Phil pulled back, ruffling Tommy’s hair but still speaking low enough so the others couldn’t hear them over their own argument. “I’m here if you need me.”

Tommy grinned, feeling happiness burst through him. “I know.”

Because Phil was always there, whether to help with homework or give him a shoulder to cry on or to give him someone to vent to. Since Tommy’s very first day in the house, when he’d just been kicked out of his previous home with more than a few bruises to show for it, Phil had been there.

So Tommy was going to show much he appreciated the man, because God knew he didn’t do it enough, and Phil deserved _everything_.

He just needed to find the perfect gift. Easy, right?

  


“So you admit I was right?” Tubbo’s voice echoed across his room and Tommy took a moment to be grateful that Phil was out with Techno getting groceries.

“I admit you’re a bitch.” Tommy said, staring up at the ceiling. “That’s it though.”

Tubbo scoffed. “I will hang up on you, I’m very busy.”

They both knew it was a lie but Tommy played along anyway. “Okay, okay, fine. You were right, I was terribly, terribly, wrong and I need your help.”

“Well why didn’t you just say so?” Tubbo laughed, ignoring Tommy’s resulting squawk. “What is it you need help with?”

Reaching up to the ceiling to stretch his arms, Tommy sighed. “Look, you’ve had a dad your whole life, right?”

“Right.” Tubbo replied, all the humour from his voice gone.

“And you’ve bought him stuff for Father’s Day before.”

“Every year.” Tubbo confirmed.

Tommy rested his arms over his eyes, blocking out all of the light. “But how do you know what to get him?”

“I don’t.”

Groaning, Tommy sat up to glare at his phone. “That’s the least helpful thing you’ve ever said.”

“Look Tommy, I don’t think –“ Tubbo sighed. “Why don’t you just get him a mug or something?”

Tommy scrunched his face up. “Tubbo. Phil deserves more than a _mug_.”

“Two mugs then. Or his favourite chocolates. It’s not like the actual gift will matter that much in the end.”

Tommy’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, my dad’s never much cared about _what_ I get him, in fact, he usually prefers the funny cards I get him more than any present. It’s the thought that –“

An idea struck him.

“Tubbo, you’re a genius.”

“We’ve established this.” Tubbo paused. “Why this time though?”

“Sorry Tubbo, got to go, things to do, I’m very busy after all.”

Walking over to his desk, Tommy hung up on Tubbo before he could respond, too busy plotting to listen to whatever else Tubbo had to say.

As a kid in primary school he’d always been forced to make Father’s Day cards and write nice messages in them. When he was really young he’d liked to pretend that he had someone to give it to, and would write all the nice things he imagined a father would do, but once he’d started to realise how unrealistic it was, he’d soon stopped, choosing to spend those days doodling instead.

No one had cared once you got to secondary school, all the teachers really cared about was if you were passing their class, not if you were prepared for a stupid holiday.

The point was, he had experience in making Father’s Day cards, so a Father’s Day letter was just the next step up. Tommy could tell Phil all the ways he’d made Tommy’s life better and why he was grateful and he wouldn’t even have to say anything because it would all be written down.

Maybe he’d get Phil a couple of mugs too, just in case.

  


Thirty minutes later and he was still sitting there with an empty page, his pen abandoned on the floor where it had fallen – he was going to handwrite the letter, obviously.

Tommy was good at talking, at making jokes and distracting people, but for some reason the right words wouldn’t come. He didn’t even know how to start the damn thing – was ‘Dear’ too formal? And was he supposed to call Phil ‘Dad’ just because it was a Father’s Day gift? Did that even make sense when he hadn’t even called Phil ‘Dad’ to his face?

He blew out another huff of frustration, pushing himself away from his desk so he could spin in his chair. He stopped when he heard the front door open.

Techno and Phil were home.

Techno, the guy who was doing both English Language and English Literature for his A-Levels – along with History, for some reason – was home.

Tommy rushed out of his room and down the stairs, freezing when he came face to face with Phil.

“You alright Toms?” Phil asked, tilting his head as he looked him over with concern before pulling him into a hug.

“I need Techno.” Tommy blurted out. “For help.”

Pulling back, Phil nodded. “You want some help with your homework?”

Latching onto the excuse, Tommy nodded back frantically. “Yes. Homework. Techno. Please.”

“Techno!” Phil called out. “Tommy needs your help with homework.”

“Tell him to fuck off!” Techno called back.

Phil sighed. “Techno.”

Tommy winced, that was the ‘you’ve disappointed me but I won’t say it because I’m too nice’ tone that had brought Tommy to tears the first time it had been directed at him.

Techno was no better at facing it, coming around the corner not a second later. “Sorry Dad. What do you need help with, Tommy?”

Tommy didn’t answer, tugging on Techno’s sleeve until he reluctantly followed him up the stairs and into his room, sparing a second to wave goodbye to Phil.

“This better be urgent.” Techno said. “I’ve got revision to do.”

“You literally had your last exam a week ago, you’re a dirty liar.” Tommy shook his head. “That doesn’t matter, I need your help with writing a letter.”

Techno suddenly looked about fifty percent less reluctant. “Formal or informal?”

“Informal.”

“Alright.” Techno cracked his knuckles. “What do you have so far?”

Tommy gestured at the blank page and Techno made a face.

“Why on earth aren’t you typing it? You’re making your life a hundred times harder.” Techno scrunched his nose up. “And you know my rules, have you even tried to do it yet?”

Tommy scratched the back of his neck. “About that, it’s not exactly homework.”

“Then who are you writing a letter to, the Queen?” Tommy took too long to respond. “Oh my God, Tommy, I am not helping you write a love letter to the Queen, that is where I draw the line.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Not the Queen. Phil.”

“Oh.” Techno studied him carefully. “Okay then.”

“Yeah.” Tommy shifted uncomfortably. “That’s not, like, weird or something, is it?”

Techno shook his head. “No, it explains why you were being strange earlier, if anything. I’m guessing this is for Father’s Day?”

Crossing his arms, Tommy frowned at Techno. “I wasn’t being strange.”

“Yes, you were.”

“Oh.” Picking up his pen off the floor to twirl it in his hand, Tommy avoided Techno’s gaze. “Do you think Phil noticed?”

He heard Techno sigh and felt warm when he realised how fond he sounded. “Dad notices everything, but he won’t suspect this, if that’s what you’re worried about. He probably thinks you want relationship advice or something.”

Tommy scrunched up his nose. “I’d obviously go to Wilbur for that.”

“Rude, I thought you wanted my help?” Techno raised an eyebrow, clearly trying to imitate Phil and failing miserably.

Tommy stuck his tongue out at him and picked up the paper from his desk, pushing it into Techno’s chest. “I don’t know how to start it. Or end it. Or do the middle bit.”

“So the whole thing then?”

Tommy shrugged. “Yeah, kind of.”

Techno sighed again and Tommy bit his lip, worried that Techno was about to just leave him to fail. “Why are you even writing a letter if you’re struggling so much with it?”

“Tubbo said –“

Techno started speaking over him. “Oh well, if _Tubbo_ said –“

Cutting him off, Tommy glared at him. “Tubbo said that _his_ dad always liked the cards that Tubbo got for him and I thought well, a letter is like a step up from that, right?”

“I suppose.” Techno said. “But Tubbo’s dad isn’t _our_ dad, no matter how much Tubbo sleeps over.”

Groaning, Tommy ran a hand through his hair. “Are you saying that Phil hates cards?”

“I didn’t say that.” Techno explained calmly. “Just that they’re different people, I’m sure Phil would love a letter from you.”

“No, you’re right, it’s a terrible idea.” Tommy threw himself face first onto his bed, burying his head into his arms. “I give up.”

He felt the bed dip beside him and a second later there was a hand carding through his hair.

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Tommy broke, sitting up so he could face Techno, determined. “Will you still help me?”

Even if he ended up not giving the letter to Phil, it would be good to have a back up gift for when he finally worked out what he’d actually get Phil, just in case.

“Of course, Toms.” Techno said, ruffling his hair one last time before taking his hand away with a grin. “I’m not handwriting it though; you can do that after.”

“Thank you.” Tommy whispered, climbing out of bed so Techno wouldn’t have a chance to see the way his eyes were shining.

He pulled his chair back over to his computer and opened a word document, leaning back when he felt Techno rest his arms on the back of the chair. “Alright first things first, you need to start it.”

“Very helpful.” Tommy commented, hands hovering over the keyboard.

“Brat.” Techno poked the back of his head. “You can just start off with ‘Hi’ if you want, you don’t need to say his name or anything.”

_Or anything_. Tommy was beyond grateful that Techno didn’t say what they were both thinking, and even more grateful that the other had solved the problem that had been tormenting him for half an hour without batting an eye.

Tommy wrote out ‘Hi’ then pressed enter, laughing when Techno poked him again. “What?”

“Add a comma. You can’t ignore basic punctuation just because you’re writing to Dad and not the Queen.” Techno sounded annoyed but Tommy laughed again, knowing he wasn’t truly angry at him.

Adding the comma, Tommy tilted his head. “But it looks so much worse now.”

“I have no idea how you pass any of your exams.” Techno said. “Now let’s write the end.”

Tommy hummed. “I think you might be missing a step there, big man.”

He could practically feel Techno rolling his eyes at him. “You can always change it after, but at least then you’ll have a start and an end – anything else will be a nice bonus.”

“Ah I see.” Tommy nodded, grinning widely. “Like capitalism.”

Techno wasn’t able to stop his laugh and Tommy’s chair shook with it. “Yeah, just like capitalism.”

Pleased with himself – Techno was one of the harder people to make laugh, even though Wilbur was more critical, he tended to not be able to hide his amusement as well, and Phil would laugh at _anything_ – Tommy let Techno laugh a bit longer before nudging him with the back of his chair. “Come on, help me.”

“Fine, fine.” Techno said, controlling himself, though Tommy could still hear the laughter in his voice. “Just write ‘Love, Tommy’ or something.”

“Cringe.” Tommy joked but pressed enter a couple of times and wrote it anyway, even bothering to include the comma without being prompted. “There. All done.”

“Apart from the whole middle section.”

Tommy shook his head. “I’m sure Phil would understand, what with capitalism and all.”

Chuckling, Techno ruffled Tommy’s hair. “You’re not wrong.”

Tommy thought about everything that he wanted to include in the letter and frowned, it wasn’t that he didn’t trust Techno not to make fun of him – Wilbur might, but Techno probably wouldn’t – but it was personal, and he really didn’t want Techno to hear it, or at least, not before Phil did.

“You can leave now.” Tommy said, not looking at Techno.

There was a pause.

“Okay.” Techno replied eventually. “You know where I am if you need me.”

Tommy didn’t say anything as Techno walked away, but as he heard the door open, he swivelled his chair around. “Techno.”

“Yeah?” Techno didn’t look angry or disappointed like Tommy had worried.

“Thank you. I –“ Tommy cut himself off, frustrated with his inability to say what he meant. “Just, thank you.”

Techno smiled at him, gentle and nothing like Tommy probably deserved. “Anytime Toms.”

Tommy had taken longer to trust Techno than Phil or Wilbur – had found it hard to see past the cold exterior that Techno had put up at first; he’d lived with people like Techno before, or at least people he thought were like Techno. It had been like that for weeks, Tommy tiptoeing around Techno so he didn’t anger him, until one day he’d come home bleeding, having been beaten up protecting Tubbo, and Techno had helped patch him up and tell Phil what happened.

Tommy hadn’t left him alone after that day, had bothered him and bothered him until the fear he’d felt before had disappeared entirely, finally recognising Techno as the huge nerd he was. He’d worried then, that he’d become too attached to the family of three, that he’d broken the one rule that he’d learned to stick by no matter what.

But then Phil had asked to adopt him, and Tommy realised that they’d gotten attached to him too.

Somehow, despite all the odds, Tommy had gained a family in the last year and he wanted – no, he _needed_ Phil to know how grateful he was.

Turning around, Tommy started typing.

  


It was done.

Hours later and he’d finished it and written it by hand. It wasn’t perfect, not by any means, but he’d said everything he wanted to say and it was all legible, which was more than he could say for some of his other attempts.

He startled when he heard a knock on his door, hurrying to hide the letter and minimising the word document he had open. “Come in!”

His door opened and Wilbur leaned against it. “Dad says dinner’s ready.”

“What is it?” Tommy said, standing up. “If we’re having some form of chicken again, I’m starting a revolution.”

It was nice to be able to have an opinion about what he ate for dinner; before Phil, Tommy’s most frequent meal was salmon, for some ungodly reason.

“I’m pretty sure Dad made soup.” Wilbur replied, slinging an arm over Tommy’s shoulders.

Tommy stopped moving. “Chicken soup?”

Pulling him along, Wilbur laughed. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

When they entered the kitchen, Tommy raced up to Phil. “What’s for dinner?”

“Tomato soup with some sides Wilbur made.” Phil said, hugging him to his side for a moment. “Did you manage to finish your homework?”

“I finished it.” He helped Techno set out the cutlery. “Are you still able to drop me off tomorrow?”

Every week, Tommy asked the same question, and every week, Phil gave him the same reply.

“Of course.”

After Techno had helped him tell Phil about the kids at school, Phil had insisted on dropping him off at and picking him up from school every day, the same way that Tubbo was. The only time he hadn’t was when Wilbur had been ill, but he’d arranged for Tubbo’s parents to drive him that day and Tommy hadn’t minded at all.

Tommy nodded, grinning at Wilbur when he tripped over his own feet. “Alright there Wil?”

He gasped dramatically when Wilbur gave him the middle finger, drawing Phil’s attention, who just shook his head at the two of them. “Really boys?”

“I was just being nice!” Tommy defended himself, unable to hide his snicker as Wilbur spluttered angrily.

Phil wasn’t fooled. “Sure you were.”

Wilbur calmed once he realised Phil wasn’t taking sides. “Are we doing anything next weekend?”

They all sat down at the table and Phil gave them their bowls.

Tommy stayed silent, watching Phil carefully as he responded. “I haven’t got anything planned. Why, did you want to go somewhere?”

“Nah, I was just wondering.” Wilbur glanced at Tommy who narrowed his eyes, suspicious. “It’s Father’s Day on Sunday.”

Clenching his jaw, Tommy stared down at his soup, trying to imagine he wasn’t in the room. Beside him, Techno tapped his foot with his own.

“Oh yeah, I guess it is that time of year.” Phil tilted his head, considering. “Like I said, I haven’t got anything planned, but we can order food if you all want?”

None of them were especially keen on going out to restaurants for dinner, so whenever something special happened, they usually ordered food.

Last year Tommy had managed to get away with spending the whole day in his room, but when he’d snuck out later that night to grab food, there’d been a tub in the fridge with a post-it note that had his name on. That had been one of the moments that he’d realised just how different Phil was from everyone else – that he’d thought about Tommy even when he hadn’t seen him all day.

It had been odd, getting used to that – the way Phil would go out to get something from the shops and come back with a gift for him because it had reminded him of Tommy.

Odd, but nice.

He wouldn’t be able to do the same thing this year; even if Phil wouldn’t force him out of his room, Wilbur definitely would. Besides, he _wanted_ to take part this year.

“That’d be nice.” Wilbur said. “What do you think Tommy?”

Wilbur was officially his second favourite brother.

Tommy shrugged but didn’t make eye contact with anyone. “Yeah, okay.”

Techno nudged his foot again and Tommy nudged his back, grateful for the comfort he was offering.

“As long as it’s not pizza.” Techno said, immediately setting Wilbur off on a rant.

Tommy grinned at them as they argued, ignoring the concerned frown that Phil was directing at him.

It was fine, _he_ was fine.

He knew he was welcome in Phil’s family – it had been made clear to him numerous times over the past year – but that didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of what could happen if he pushed his luck. Phil was by far the nicest person to have ever looked after him and he’d gone as far as to adopt Tommy, despite all of his faults. It was strange and Tommy still didn’t understand it, which meant that as far as he was concerned, he could be kicked out just as quickly as he was accepted.

He often found himself battling with the thought and the guilt that came with it. He trusted Phil more than he’d ever trusted an adult before and it felt like he was betraying the man by not trusting him fully after all he’d done for Tommy.

So yes, he might be confused and torn and worried, but that was better than he’d been eighteen months ago, so really, he was fine. 

  


Tommy sighed as he slumped into the seat next to Tubbo. “I want to go back to being an orphan.”

“No you don’t.” Tubbo said, poking him until he sat up properly.

“No I don’t.” Tommy admitted. “But life was easier when I didn’t have to think about other people’s feelings.”

Tubbo snorted, laughing when Tommy glared at him. “Sorry, sorry, this is very serious.”

“You are the worst person I know.”

Calming his laughter, Tubbo got his books out of his bag. “I’m glad that this is the kind of problem you’re having, you’re a lot happier than you were when we met.”

“What do you mean?” When they’d met, there was no way Tubbo had known how unhappy he was at times – he’d always been good at focusing on the moment and he’d enjoyed spending time with Tubbo from the very beginning. “I was always happy when we first met.”

They’d met when Tommy was placed with the family before Phil and he’d been lucky enough to stay in the same area when he was inevitably kicked out. Even then he’d thought he’d hidden the worst parts of himself from Tubbo.

Tubbo hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe, but it’s a different kind of happiness now.”

The teacher started talking before Tommy could reply and so he was left to stew on Tubbo’s words for the whole of their English class.

He knew he was happier now, of course, being adopted would do that to you, but he’d also thought he’d been happy before.

But maybe, maybe happiness meant something different now.

Before he’d found happiness in the rare moments, when he’d made a particularly funny joke that had made Tubbo laugh for almost twenty minutes, or when he’d pet a stranger’s dog, and he’d made that happiness last, had stretched it so it covered his whole day and forced it to drown out anything else.

Once he’d been placed with Phil though, those moments had grown less and less rare and he’d had no need to stretch them out anymore. Even more than that, in the times that he wasn’t happy, he no longer felt like everything else threatened to overwhelm him.

He wasn’t scared of not being happy anymore.

Blocking out their teacher, he stole a glance at Tubbo. At this point it didn’t surprise him that his friend figured stuff out about Tommy before Tommy did, but it didn’t stop the fondness curling his mouth into a smile.

Phil certainly wasn’t the only one that had contributed to the change in Tommy’s life and judging by the smile Tubbo sent back, they were both very aware of it.

  


The rest of the week passed far too quickly for Tommy’s liking and before he knew it, it was Friday afternoon – usually the best time of the week.

Not this week.

This week, all Tommy could feel as he waited outside of the school with Tubbo was dread, none of the usual euphoria that came with the end of a long week.

Phil’s car showed up, but he knew Tommy wouldn’t leave until Tubbo was safely in his parents’ car, so he didn’t try to get Tommy in the car straight away, just waving when he caught Tommy’s eyes.

“Tubbo.” Tommy said.

“Tommy.”

Tommy crossed his arms. “If I have to move away, we’ll stay in contact, right?”

There was a sigh from beside him but he didn’t dare look, knowing that Tubbo wouldn’t understand why he was so worried. “Of course we would, big man, but I really doubt it’s going to come to that.”

“I wouldn’t let you ignore me.” Tommy said, not addressing the rest of Tubbo’s words. “Just so you know.”

Tubbo snorted. “Yeah, I’d guessed, funnily enough.”

Tommy made a face at him. “Bitch.”

“I wouldn’t let you ignore me, either.” Tubbo spoke quietly but his words held an edge of force that was often hidden. “In case you ever get any stupid ideas.”

Tommy sensed that another insult probably wouldn’t be appreciated, but he also had no idea what else he could say.

He settled on an awkward attempt at gratitude. “Thanks Tubbo.”

Tubbo bumped his shoulder in acknowledgement. “My parents are here, I’ll see you Monday, alright?”

“See you then.”

As he watched Tubbo climb into his parents’ car, he hoped, more than anything, that he wasn’t lying.

Knowing he wouldn’t get away with much more waiting without worrying Phil, he headed to the car with a small sigh.

He climbed into the passenger seat and threw his bag down by his feet. “Thanks Phil.”

“Sure thing.” Phil made sure Tommy had his seatbelt done up before starting the car and pulling away. “How was your day?”

Tommy’s leg bounced. “Eh, it was a day.”

Phil glanced at him before focusing back on the road. “You had PE today right?”

All his anxiety about the weekend faded away as he thought about what had happened earlier.

“We did dodgeball so it was actually kind of fun apart from the pricks that targeted Tubbo.” Tommy sat straight at the memory, leftover anger clenching his fists. “Why can’t they just leave him alone? It’s bullshit.”

“Is Tubbo okay?” Phil asked.

Tommy deflated a little. “Yeah, we were on opposite teams so I just got him out at the start of every round so he didn’t have to risk an ‘accidental’ ball in the face.”

“That’s nice of you.” Phil patted his knee. “I’m proud of you for finding a way to help Tubbo without starting a fight.”

Tommy couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face – he didn’t think he’d ever get used to Phil saying he was proud of him. “Yeah well, I am a genius.”

“You sure are.” Phil said with a smile. “Wilbur is staying at a friend’s house tonight and dragged Techno with him, so it’s just me and you tonight.”

“Oh.” Tommy said, glaring at his leg when it started to bounce again and forcing it still, only for his foot to start tapping without his permission. “Cool.”

There was a pause where Phil parked the car and turned off the engine, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Tommy’s foot started tapping twice as fast as before, sensing the sudden tension.

Phil sighed and stopped drumming his fingers. “Do you want to watch a film?”

That was what they usually did whenever it was just them home, but Tommy really wasn’t sure he’d be able to cope with spending much longer alone with Phil. The man was already concerned about Tommy, he didn’t want to risk ruining his day any more than he already had.

Shaking his head, Tommy tried for a smile, knowing he failed when Phil just looked more worried. “I’ve uh, I’ve got homework I should probably do.”

“Okay.” Phil said easily. “I’ll call you down when dinner’s ready.”

“Actually, I’m not too hungry.” Tommy dug his nails into his palms. “I might go straight to bed after my homework, if that’s okay?”

He felt Phil’s stare. “Have you eaten today?”

“I had a big lunch.”

“If you’re sure.” Phil said, but Tommy could hear the doubt in his voice. “I’ll leave something in the fridge for you in case you wake up in the middle of the night and you’re hungry.”

They both got out of the car and Tommy flinched at the sound of the doors shutting, cursing himself when Phil noticed.

Phil lowered his voice, reaching a hand out slowly. “Toms –“

“Goodnight Phil.” Tommy rushed past him, shaky hands unlocking the door and running up to his room.

It was only when he was lying curled up in his bed that he realised he hadn’t gotten his usual hug from Phil. For some reason it was that, not the rest of the turmoil in his mind, that made him have to bite back the sob that threatened to escape.

God, why did he have to fuck up everything? Why did he have to ruin the few good things he did have?

He didn’t deserve Phil – not in the way that other people did, in the way that Techno and Wilbur did. He’d met other children in the system, _good_ children, that deserved more than life had given them. _They_ deserved Phil, not Tommy.

Tommy spoke too often and too loudly, he pissed off everyone he talked to and he destroyed everything good around him.

But Phil had still adopted him – out of pity or love or whatever – Phil had taken Tommy into his family, had accepted him and kept him around when everyone else had given up on him.

His phone dinged: he had a text message.

‘ _I’m here if you need me. I love you Toms.’_

He wasn’t able to hold back the sobs anymore and muffled them into his pillow instead, holding his fingers hesitantly over the keyboard. He sobbed harder when he realised he didn’t know what to write, the frustration building and building until he gave up and just turned his phone off.

He didn’t even know why he was so upset; he should be used to his own failures by now.

Eventually his sobs died down and all that was left was exhaustion which he soon gave into, falling asleep wearing his jeans and hoodie.

  


When he woke up it was pitch black outside.

He checked his phone, groaning when he saw it was just past three in the morning – he’d worked hard to have a somewhat good sleep schedule and now he’d completely messed it up.

Sitting up, he rubbed a hand through his hair, wrinkling his nose at how uncomfortable his jeans were. Apart from that though, he felt a lot better than he had earlier, he certainly didn’t feel like crying anymore.

He eyed his dresser, wondering if it would be worth leaving the warmth of his bed to get changed into something more comfortable. Before he even realised what he was doing, he was halfway across the room, his body apparently uncaring about what he thought.

He got changed quickly, some old pyjama bottoms and a stolen hoodie of Wilbur’s, and sat at his desk, giving up on going back to sleep – any residual sleepiness had faded away the instant he’d left his bed. Plugging in his phone so he wouldn’t drain the small amount of battery that was left, he considered whether or not it was a good idea to start his computer.

Ultimately deciding not, he scrolled through the apps on his phone instead, not really seeing his screen until he accidentally clicked on his messages. He clicked out of his conversation with Phil and hovered over Wilbur’s, debating on texting the man.

Wilbur was at his friend’s house and was probably busy, but Tommy also wanted to speak to someone and knowing Techno, he’d probably fallen asleep at the first opportunity to escape whatever games the others had wanted to play. Phil would definitely be asleep and Tommy didn’t really want to talk to the man yet anyway, not without a plan.

Sighing he typed out a message; if Wilbur didn’t respond, he didn’t respond.

_‘Can we call?’_

He scrolled through their previous messages while he waited for a response, frowning when more than a few minutes had passed and there was still nothing from Wilbur. He scrolled all the way back down to double check that Wilbur hadn’t replied, slumping in his seat when there was still nothing there.

He almost sent a second message before deciding there was no point and clicking out of his messages with a small sigh, staring at his home screen.

Plugging in his earphones, he opened his videos, finding the recording of one of Wilbur’s songs with ease. It had taken him weeks to convince Wilbur to let Tommy listen to him sing and even longer to allow the recording, but eventually Tommy had won. He listened to it more often than he’d ever admit – the familiar lyrics far better at calming Tommy down than any published song.

He played it once, smiling at Wilbur’s small grin at the end of the video, before scrolling to the right and letting the next video play. It was from an awards ceremony at Techno’s college and technically, Tommy hadn’t been allowed to record it, but from what he remembered, he hadn’t particularly cared.

_The phone wobbled a little in his hand as he pushed Techno, whispering just loud enough for the other to hear. “Go on, they said your name!”_

_Techno stood, glaring at Tommy. “I was aware of that, actually.”_

_Tommy stuck his tongue out and zoomed into Techno’s face on his phone, holding back a laugh at the disgruntled expression._

_Techno walked down to the stage with far less awkwardness than Tommy expected, so he turned his phone to look at Phil instead, who was watching with a proud smile._

_When the polite clapping started, Wilbur made sure he was the loudest out of everyone and Tommy cheered even louder than that, gathering a few looks from the families around them._

_Phil chuckled but when Tommy turned the camera back to him, he was focused on Techno, something soft in his eyes, and Tommy soon turned the camera away again, feeling as though he were intruding._

Techno had received three awards that night and none of them had been particularly surprised, though Tommy had made sure to cheer louder for each one.

He brought his knees up to his chest and scrolled to the next video, easily recognising it from the first frame and pressing play.

_“Dad, look, I just don’t see the problem here.” Wilbur said, his face completely serious._

_Tommy giggled, turning the camera to look at where Phil was sitting on the other chair with his head in his hands._

_“Wilbur, the problem is that you’re not able to control time.” Phil groaned. “Or the weather, for that matter.”_

_Wilbur crossed his arms. “Well now it just sounds like you’re doubting my abilities.”_

_“Your ability to remove winter from existence? Yes. Yes I am.” Tommy zoomed in on Phil’s expression, grinning when he saw the fond smile that was tugging at Phil’s mouth._

_Wilbur turned to Tommy. “You’ll help me, right Toms?”_

_“Of course, Wil.” Tommy agreed. “Anything to anger Santa.”_

_Wilbur held out his hand and Tommy leaned forward to shake it. Beside them, Techno hummed. “I reckon I could kill Santa.”_

_Phil’s groan of despair echoed throughout the room._

Tommy smiled at the memory, the easy happiness reminding him of simpler times when he hadn’t had to think about things like Father’s Day.

He swiped to the next video to distract himself, curious when he didn’t instantly recognise what was happening.

_Tommy crept through the dark, barely stifling a giggle when he heard the loud snoring coming from the couch._

_He poked his head into the living room, waving when he met Phil’s gaze and pretending that he wasn’t filming._

_“Alright there Phil?” Tommy asked, snickering into his hand._

_Wilbur was curled up against Phil, fast asleep and drooling on his shoulder._

_Phil sighed and ran a hand through Wilbur’s hair. “Yeah, do you mind passing me my phone? It’s just there on the table.”_

_Tiptoeing over, Tommy tried to make as little noise as possible as he gave Phil his phone. “Is he okay?”_

_“He’s fine.” Phil gave Tommy a reassuring smile as if he were the one that had passed out on the couch. “I think college just tired him out.”_

_Tommy frowned. “I’ll go start on his chores.”_

_“Oh no, you don’t have to Tommy, I was just going to let him get away with it for today.”_

_“And then who’s going to do the washing up?” Tommy asked, rolling his eyes. “I’m not doing this for Wil, I’m doing this so that I’ll have a spoon for my cereal tomorrow.”_

_Phil stared at him. “Alright then, if you insist.”_

_“A man can’t eat his cereal without a spoon.” Tommy waved at Techno as he walked into the room. “Of course, I insist.”_

_“You could use a fork.” Techno said. “Why is Wilbur imitating an earthquake?”_

_Tommy had to leave the room so his laughter wouldn’t wake Wilbur up._

He replayed the video, focusing on Phil’s fond smile as he’d looked at Wilbur and the way he’d grinned when Techno had entered the room, before turning his phone off because it got too painful.

He knew Phil loved him but he also knew it had to be so much easier to love Wilbur and Techno.

Tommy was – he was hard to love.

That had been proven after so many years of other people trying and failing to bring him into their homes. The only thing that had stayed the same in each of the homes was Tommy, which clearly meant that _he_ was the problem.

He’d used to be perfectly polite when he first met families, suppressing any and all desire to be anything remotely like himself. But when he realised that even that wasn’t enough for people – even the best version of Tommy wasn’t enough, he’d given up on impressing them all together.

If people wouldn’t like him regardless, then what was the point of trying to be something he wasn’t?

Until Phil.

Tommy had given up on trying to be better for them, but for Phil, he could do it. He could make himself easier to love.

Then Phil would be less stressed because he wouldn’t have to put so much work into caring about Tommy, which had to be the ultimate Father’s Day gift, right?

  


“Tommy?” Phil yawned as he came into the kitchen. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Tommy said in his best ‘polite teenager who has never sworn in their life’ voice, pressing a cup of tea into Phil’s hands. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“Huh?”

“Breakfast. The first and most important meal of the day.” Tommy explained patiently and with none of the sarcasm that he wanted to use. “What would you like?”

Sipping from his tea, Phil looked at Tommy suspiciously. “I’ll make myself some toast in a bit. Do you want me to make you anything?”

Tommy was getting quite hungry, having skipped dinner last night and not eaten since, but he was pretty sure that a better person wouldn’t let Phil make food for him the day before Father’s Day. “No, thank you.”

“Are you sure?” Phil tilted his head. “When was the last time you ate?”

Tommy didn’t know the right answer – telling the truth was supposedly the better thing to do, but telling the truth would just make Phil more worried. “Uh.”

Chuckling, Phil put his cup of tea down and moved across the kitchen, ruffling Tommy’s hair as he passed. “I’ll make you some toast along with mine.”

“I’ll do it!” Tommy offered, grabbing the bread before Phil could and placing four slices in the toaster.

He got the butter out while he waited, ignoring the way Phil’s eyes were trained on him.

“Tommy.” Phil said, his tone making Tommy seize still. “What’s going on?”

Uncomfortable, Tommy shrugged. “Just helping you make breakfast.”

“And I’m grateful for that.” Phil reassured, smiling at Tommy. “But you’re not acting like yourself.”

Tommy frowned. Was the idea of him being helpful so absurd? “Oh.”

Phil sighed and walked over to Tommy slowly, keeping his attention even when the toast popped up. “I’m just worried. Did something happen at school yesterday?”

Tommy shook his head, not able to resist leaning into Phil when he placed his hands on Tommy’s shoulders.

“Then something a few days ago? You’ve been… off recently.” Phil used one hand to card his fingers through Tommy’s hair, pulling a few stray pieces of his face. “Is it something I’ve done?”

Shaking his head again, Tommy opened his mouth to explain, frustration building when the right words wouldn’t come out.

God, he hadn’t even managed five minutes of making Phil’s life easier.

He felt tears welling in his eyes and stared down at the floor, hoping Phil wouldn’t see them.

“Oh Toms.” Phil was so gentle that Tommy couldn’t help it when the tears started falling faster. “Can I hug you?”

Tommy nodded hesitantly, not sure he deserved the comfort but Phil didn’t wait to wrap his arms around him slowly, one hand on the back of his neck and the other rubbing small circles in the middle of his back.

After a few seconds, Tommy hugged Phil back, buying his face in the man’s shoulder and trying to hold back from sobbing.

Eventually, Tommy calmed down, a combination of Phil’s warmth and the reassuring words he was whispering soothing Tommy’s emotions enough that he was able to breathe steadily, even if he was still holding tightly onto Phil like he would disappear at any moment.

Tommy just didn’t _understand_ – why was Phil so kind and gentle to someone like Tommy?

Phil took a deep breath and Tommy braced himself. “Is this about tomorrow?”

There was a pause and Tommy nodded. “I just don’t want to mess it up.”

It was easier to say the words when he didn’t have to look at Phil.

He heard Phil’s breathing stilt for a moment. “Father’s Day isn’t – there isn’t anything _to_ mess up, at least not in this family. It’s not about trying to impress me, or something, it’s about us getting to spend some time together, as a family.”

Tommy sniffed but didn’t respond. Once Phil saw how inferior Tommy was to Wilbur and Techno, he’d be sure to change his mind about that.

“I’m lucky to have children Tommy.” Phil admitted in a low tone. “I never thought I’d get the chance, but I did, first with Techno, then Wilbur, and you, Tommy, I’m grateful for all of you.”

Tommy tensed up, knowing Phil would be far luckier if he’d adopted some other kid that wasn’t as annoying as Tommy.

Phil noticed. “You complete this family Toms, and I won’t ever stop loving you for it. That’s what Father’s Day is about, to me, a chance to appreciate the people that make my life what it is, not a chance to laze around the house and get presents.”

“But why?” Tommy couldn’t help but ask, the question that had been tormenting him for days finally in the air for the whole world to hear. “Why me? Wouldn’t you prefer someone better?”

Phil tutted softly. “I’ve fostered many, many kids throughout the years, and I’ve only adopted three. I knew that you were a part of this family within the first week you’d stayed here and it was more than just a gut feeling. It was obvious in the way you clicked with Wilbur and how you became one of the few people able to bring Techno out of his shell. There is no one better.”

Tommy held onto Phil tighter. He hadn’t known that there had been others before him, people Phil hadn’t adopted – he thought Phil was just too kind not to, but no, he’d picked Tommy.

He’d chosen _Tommy_. Out of everyone else.

The thought made him feel like he could float, like Phil’s arms were the only thing keeping him rooted to the ground.

Phil hadn’t adopted him out of pity, or because he thought Tommy would make do – no, Phil had adopted him because he thought Tommy, out of everyone, was the best choice, the only choice.

“I couldn’t imagine a different family.” Tommy said truthfully.

Years ago, when he’d tried to imagine a family he’d always imagined the typical two parents and a sibling or two, but now he couldn’t think of anything better than a father and two older brothers. Anything else just felt… wrong.

Phil pulled back to look him in the eyes. “You belong here Tommy, nothing that happens tomorrow will change that.”

Tommy fought the urge to thank him, knowing it wouldn’t come across the way he wanted. He nodded instead, giving Phil a shaky smile and attempting to lighten the mood. “You’d all be lost without me.”

“You’re right.” Phil didn’t laugh, completely serious as he stared at Tommy. “We would.”

_Oh_. Tommy thought, because Phil meant that.

If there was one thing he’d learnt in the system it was how to tell when an adult was bullshitting him to make him feel better but Phil, Phil was being one hundred percent truthful.

Tommy watched with wide eyes as Phil pulled away and started buttering the toast, guiding Tommy to the table and sitting him down. He took the plate that was handed to him in silence and started eating to give himself an excuse to not talk.

Ruffling his hair as he walked past, Phil chuckled lightly as he sat opposite Tommy. “How about we start that new series you were talking about the other day? Your brothers won’t be home until after lunch.”

“That sounds nice.”

They finished breakfast in relative silence, Tommy still coming to terms with everything and Phil content to let him.

Phil left their plates in the sink, saying that Wilbur and Techno could deal with them later, and then sat in the middle of the couch, patting the space next to him. His arm wrapped around Tommy when he sat down, pressing a kiss to his forehead when he was close enough.

They spent the rest of the morning watching the series and when lunchtime came, Phil paused it to make some sandwiches, coming back a few minutes later with a plate for both of them.

At some point, Wilbur and Techno came home, laughing their way through the front door. They quietened when they saw Tommy and Phil, going upstairs for a few minutes only to reappear wearing pyjamas, Wilbur taking his place next to Tommy and Techno sitting next to Phil.

Phil ordered from their local Indian for dinner, letting them eat on the couch so they didn’t have to move.

Tommy yawned when he was done, feeling full and warm and more relaxed than he had all week.

“Go on mate, off to bed with you.” Phil said, smiling when Tommy just blinked blearily at him. “I’m getting a little old to carry you up the stairs.”

Tommy stumbled up off the couch, leaning onto Wilbur when he steadied him before accepting being transferred to Techno, resting his forehead on Techno’s shoulder. He’d been up since very early that morning and it was starting to make each movement feel heavier than the last.

Techno tensed at first but relaxed as Tommy just put more of his weight on him, putting an arm around his waist as they walked towards the stairs.

“Techno?” Tommy asked once they were halfway up the stairs, rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah Toms?”

Another yawn escaped him before he could help it. “What time are you and Wilbur getting up tomorrow?”

“Not too early.” Techno answered. “I’ll make sure we wake you before we wake Dad.”

“Dad’s going to have the best day ever.” Tommy insisted without realising what he’d said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Techno was silent for a moment before he chuckled, opening Tommy’s bedroom door and helping him into his bed. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Tommy mumbled something unintelligible as Techno tucked him in, pushing the hair off his face before leaving the room with a quiet goodnight, shutting the door behind him.

  


“Tommy.” Wilbur’s voice had never been more annoying. “Tommy get up.”

Tommy groaned and pulled his covers over his face, rolling away from Wilbur. “Go ‘way.”

“ _Go away_.” Wilbur mocked, poking Tommy. “Come on, before Dad gets up.”

Before Phil got up? But why? Unless –

“Shit.” Tommy sat up, pushing Wilbur off his bed.

He was so glad he’d gotten his gifts for Phil ready earlier in the week.

He started to get out of bed but stopped when he saw Wilbur on the floor. “What are you doing down there?”

“Are you fucking –“

“It doesn’t matter.” Tommy tugged on his arm to help him stand up. “Hurry up.”

Wilbur gave up on glaring at him to grin. “Wow Tommy, it’s almost like you’re excited.”

“Shut up bitch.” Tommy said over his shoulder, moving the stuff away from the bottom of his wardrobe to get the bag he’d prepared. “What’s the plan?”

Scratching the back of his neck, Wilbur hummed. “Well, there’s not a plan exactly. Normally we’d just go and wake Dad up and give him shit and then force him to make us breakfast.”

“That’s an awful plan.”

Wilbur stuck his tongue out at Tommy. “Fuck you.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Where’s Techno?”

“Waiting for you.”

“That’s not a location.”

Wilbur left Tommy’s bedroom, muttering about annoying younger brothers, so Tommy followed, grinning at Techno when he saw him waiting outside of Phil’s bedroom.

Techno counted down from three on his fingers, but when he got to zero, Tommy and Wilbur just continued staring at him, having no idea what it was he expected from them.

The sigh Techno let out was clearly from the heart. “You two are the worst.”

Tommy stifled his laugh with his hand. “How can we both be the worst? Surely one of us is slightly worse than the other?”

“It’s you.” Wilbur said. “Definitely you.”

“That’s so rude, I was about to suggest we team up on Techno.” Tommy crossed his arms.

Techno raised an eyebrow. “You were about to what?”

“I was about to suggest that you and I team up on Wilbur.” Tommy corrected slowly, backing away from Techno.

Techno and Wilbur shared a look before both turning towards Tommy.

Phil’s bedroom door opened, startling them all. “What are you doing? It’s like five in the morning.”

Tommy looked at Techno. “You said it wouldn’t be too early!”

“It’s never too early if you simply do not sleep.” Techno defended, crossing his arms.

“Oh fuck off.” Wilbur said. “I literally had to wake you up.”

Phil laughed at them and waved them into his room. “Fighting on Father’s Day? Surely not.”

Techno snorted. “It’s not fighting, it’s bonding.”

“If you say so.” Phil grinned, sitting on his bed.

Wilbur beside him and Techno sat at his feet, so Tommy took the remaining spot on the other corner of the bed, perching somewhat awkwardly.

“Me first!” Wilbur insisted, forcing his own bag into Phil’s arms.

Laughing, Phil took it. “Thanks Wil.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Wilbur grinned. “You haven’t seen what it is yet.”

“Well now I’m worried.”

Tommy watched as Phil opened the bag and pulled out a gift, unwrapping it carefully. “What is it?”

“Oh my God.” Phil said. “Wil, what the fuck?”

“So you can remember us when you go to work.” Wilbur said cheerfully.

Phil pulled it out of the paper and turned it around to show Techno and Tommy – it was a framed picture of them all from Christmas, except everyone apart from Wilbur had been horribly photoshopped.

“I’ll treasure it forever.” Phil said over Tommy’s wheezing.

“I’m glad to see you photoshopped yourself too Wil.” Techno said, dead serious. “It helps you fit in.”

Wilbur scowled at him. “Prick.”

“I’m next.” Techno declared, ignoring Wilbur.

Tommy narrowed his eyes at him but didn’t dispute it when Techno handed Phil what looked to be a professionally wrapped gift, though Tommy knew from Christmas that Techno was just that good at wrapping.

Phil unwrapped it, smiling when he brought a book out of the paper. “Thank you, Techno, it’s perfect.”

Techno nodded. “I know.”

Tommy had learnt, over the past year, that Techno prided himself on being able to find people the perfect gift.

“Is that a recipe book?” Tommy asked, trying to see from his position, only to give up and climb on the bed properly to see better.

“Yeah.” Techno shrugged. “Dad mentioned he wanted to learn how to cook more meals.”

“I don’t remember that.” Wilbur said.

Techno hummed instead of responding and Phil laughed. “Well I’m excited to try out something new.”

Wilbur turned to Tommy. “Come on, you’re next.”

Biting his lip, Tommy fished the letter out of the bag and handed the bag to Phil without saying anything.

Phil took out the badly wrapped gifts one at a time, placing them both in front of him. It felt like years passed as he opened the first one.

“Hurry up.” Tommy whined.

Phil laughed. “Okay, okay.”

Tommy’s heart raced as he the box of the first present was revealed, showing a mug.

Phil laughed. “’Favourite Elderly Person’? I’m so honoured.”

Tommy grinned. “I do know lots of elderly people.”

Placing the mug carefully to the side, Phil moved on to the other present. “A t-shirt?”

“Read what is says.” He’d spent extra money to personalise the shirt.

Phil held it up in front of him. “’Be nice to me I might die soon’? Wow, how thoughtful of you.”

Wilbur and Tommy held onto each other as they laughed, Tommy fighting through it to reply to Phil. “Just so that the people know.”

Folding the shirt, Phil couldn’t help but laugh with them. “Thank you Tommy, I’ll wear it for work tomorrow, see what ‘the people’ think.”

Tommy grinned, satisfied that he’d chosen his gifts well.

Techno stared at Tommy. “Tommy isn’t done.”

“I don’t know…” Tommy trailed off, staring at the letter in his hands with uncertainty.

The other gifts had seemed fine, did Phil really need the letter as well?

Wilbur shoved him lightly. “Don’t be dramatic, that’s Techno’s thing.”

Tommy pushed him back, skimming through the letter one final time so he’d know what Phil was reading as he read it. Biting his lip, he handed it to Phil, who took it with a smile.

‘ _Hi,_

_I’m not really sure how to write a letter and the more I think about it, the more of a bad idea it seems, but here goes._

_My life feels like it’s been split into two parts: before moving here and after. Before, I was alone and well, I hadn’t had the best of luck with people. After, I had you, and Wilbur and Techno, but you were the one that took me in, despite everything._

_You gave me food to eat and a safe place to stay and didn’t ask for a single thing in return. But more than that, you made me feel like I belonged somewhere._

_I don’t deal well with being alone but in the last year I haven’t felt alone once. I’ve always known that I have someone to turn to and I’ll never stop being grateful for that._

_I’ve not had much experience with fathers before you, not real ones at least, but I reckon you’re the best one out there._

_Happy Father’s Day. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me._

_Love, Tommy’_

Tommy panicked when he saw Phil’s eyes water but realisation swept through him seconds later when Phil reached across the bed to hug him.

“Tommy I –“ Tommy’s eyes widened as Phil’s voice cut off, he’d never seen the man so emotional. “I love you.”

“Bundle!” Wilbur shouted and then threw himself on top of Phil and Tommy, joining in on their hug.

Techno sighed but also joined in, though with far less force than Wilbur had.

The rest of the day didn’t seem so daunting anymore – not when he was surrounded by his family.

They’d have breakfast and probably watch the rest of the series from yesterday and then they’d argue over what takeaway to get for half an hour and knowing Phil, the man would give in and order from three different places just to keep everyone happy.

It was more than Tommy had ever hoped for himself.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! This was super fun to write and I'm pretty sure our prompts were almost exactly the same, so I got to write exactly what I wanted to, so thank you!!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr [@piteouspeculiarity](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/piteouspeculiarity) if you'd like to chat, or I hang around a few servers on Discord :D


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